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At least 199 records · Page 11

Union: A Unified HW-SW Co-Design Ecosystem in MLIR for Evaluating Tensor Operationson Spatial Accelerators

To meet the extreme compute demands for deep learning across commercial and scientific applications, dataflow accelerators are becoming increasingly popular. While these“domain-specific” accelerators are not fully programmable like CPUs and GPUs, they retain varying levels of flexibility with respect to data orchestration, i.e., dataflow and tiling optimizations to enhance efficiency. There are several challenges when designing new algorithms and mapping approaches to execute the algorithms for a target problem on new hardware. Previous works have addressed these challenges individually. To address this challenge as a whole, in this work, we present an HW-SW co-design ecosystem for spatial accelerators called Union within the popular MLIR compiler infrastructure. Our framework allows exploring different algorithms and their mappings on several accelerator cost models. Union also includes a plug-and-play library of accelerator cost models and mappers which can easily be extended. The algorithms and accelerator cost models are connected via a novel mapping abstraction that captures the map space of spatial accelerators which can be systematically pruned based on constraints from the hardware, workload, and mapper. We demonstrate the value of Union for the community with several case studies which examine offloading different tensor operations (CONV/GEMM/Tensor Contraction) on diverse accelerator architectures using different mapping schemes.

Jeong, Geonhwa↗

Evaluating Spatial Accelerator Architectures with Tiled Matrix-Matrix Multiplication.

There is a growing interest in custom spatial accelerators for machine learning applications. These accelerators employ a spatial array of processing elements (PEs) interacting via custom buffer hierarchies and networks-on-chip. The efficiency of these accelerators comes from employing optimized dataflow (i.e., spatial/temporal partitioning of data across the PEs and fine-grained scheduling) strategies to optimize data reuse. The focus of this work is to evaluate these accelerator architectures using a tiled general matrix-matrix multiplication (GEMM) kernel. To do so, we develop a framework that finds optimized mappings (dataflow and tile sizes) for a tiled GEMM for a given spatial accelerator and workload combination, leveraging an analytical cost model for runtime and energy. Finally, our evaluations over five spatial accelerators demonstrate that the tiled GEMM mappings systematically generated by our framework achieve high performance on various GEMM workloads and accelerators.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Parallel Simulation of Beam Dynamics in Particle Accelerators [Slides]

Particle accelerators are among the most versatile and important tools of scientific discovery. The Nation's accelerators are responsible for a wealth of advances in materials science, chemistry, the biosciences, particle physics, and nuclear physics. They also have important applications to national security, the environment, energy, medicine, and on the quality of people's lives. LANL has a long history of making pioneering contributions to Accelerator Science including key contributions to the field of Computational Accelerator Physics. These include the development of early beam dynamics codes with space charge (such as PARMILA and PARMELA), the development of rf cavity codes and magnet codes (including Poisson and Superfish), and the development and distribution of codes to the accelerator community through the Los Alamos Accelerator Code Group. LANL researchers also helped pioneer the development of massively parallel space-charge codes. In project t22_accelsim we have moved beyond electrostatic models of collective effects (i.e., solving the Poisson equation in the bunch frame) to fully electromagnetic models based on the Lienard-Wiechert formalism. This approach enables the large-scale simulation of radiation production and collective effects in high brightness electron beams. This is highly relevant to LANL given its future goal of developing an X-ray Free Electron Laser (XFEL). It also directly impacts a LANL LDRD project to develop an undulator-based non-invasive beam profile monitor for beams created in laser-plasma accelerator systems.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Compact cryomodule for mobile stand-alone superconducting industrial accelerators

Superconducting RF (SRF) accelerators have the potential to be more profitable in comparison with normally conducting accelerators, as long they can be made compact, achieve operational simplicity, autonomy, trans- portability, satisfactory energy efficiency, as well as have reasonable costs. The development of SRF technologies such as Nb 3 Sn coating, conductively-cooled resonators, and high-capacity liquid-helium-free cryocoolers made SRF accelerators mobile and energetically and economically efficient at a beam power of tens of kW. One of the key elements of such an accelerator is the cryomodule, which must have minimal thermal losses to enable operation from low power cryoheads and enable conductive cooling of SRF resonator. In this research we present the design and test results of a compact cryomodule for an industrial stand-alone SRF linear accelerator proto- type, based on 650 MHz elliptical resonators, being developed at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Considerations for a TeV collider based on dielectric laser accelerators

Particle acceleration in dielectric microstructures powered by infrared lasers, or "dielectric laser acceleration" (DLA), is a promising area of advanced accelerator research with the potential to enable more affordable and higher-gradient accelerators for energy frontier science and a variety of other applications. DLA leverages well-established industrial fabrication capabilities and the commercial availability of tabletop lasers to reduce cost, with axial accelerating fields in the GV/m range. Further, desirable luminosities would be obtained by operating with very low charge per bunch but at extremely high repetition rates. And as a consequence of its unique operating parameter regime, coupling of the laser to the accelerator can potentially be in the 50% range and with low beamstrahlung energy loss due at the interaction point, making DLA a promising approach for a future multi-TeV linear collider.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

High Efficiency Uniform Wakefield Acceleration of a Positron Beam Using Stable Asymmetric Mode in a Hollow Channel Plasma

Plasma wakefield acceleration in the blowout regime is particularly promising for high-energy acceleration of electron beams because of its potential to simultaneously provide large acceleration gradients and high energy transfer efficiency while maintaining excellent beam quality. However, no equivalent regime for positron acceleration in plasma wakes has been discovered to date. We show that after a short propagation distance, an asymmetric electron beam drives a stable wakefield in a hollow plasma channel that can be both accelerating and focusing for a positron beam. A high charge positron bunch placed at a suitable distance behind the drive bunch can beam-load or flatten the longitudinal wakefield and enhance the transverse focusing force, leading to high efficiency and narrow energy spread acceleration of the positrons. Three-dimensional quasistatic particle-in-cell simulations show that an over 30% energy extraction efficiency from the wake to the positrons and a 1% level energy spread can be simultaneously obtained. Further optimization is feasible.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Analytical and numerical studies of dark current in radiofrequency structures for short-pulse high-gradient acceleration

High-gradient acceleration is a key research area that could enable compact linear accelerators for future colliders, light sources, and other applications. In the pursuit of high-gradient operation, rf breakdown limits the attainable accelerating gradient in normal-conducting rf structures. Recent experiments at the Argonne Wakefield Accelerator suggest a promising approach: using short rf pulses with durations of a few nanoseconds. Experimental studies show that these 𝒪⁡(1⁢ ⁢ns) rf pulses can mitigate breakdown limitations, resulting in higher gradients. For example, an electric field of nearly 400 MV/m was achieved in an 𝑋-band photoemission gun driven by 6-ns-long rf pulses, with rapid rf conditioning and low dark current observed. Despite these promising results, the short-pulse regime remains an underexplored parameter space, and rf breakdown physics under nanosecond-long pulses requires further investigation. In this paper, we present analytical and numerical simulations of dark current dynamics in accelerating cavities operating in the short-pulse regime. We study breakdown-associated processes spanning different time scales, including field emission, multipacting, and plasma formation, using simulations of the 𝑋-band photogun cavities. The results reveal the advantages of using short rf pulses to reduce dark current and mitigate rf breakdown, offering a path toward a new class of compact accelerators with enhanced performance and reduced susceptibility to breakdown.

Linear accelerators↗

Vacuum laser acceleration of super-ponderomotive electrons using relativistic transparency injection

Abstract Intense lasers can accelerate electrons to very high energy over a short distance. Such compact accelerators have several potential applications including fast ignition, high energy physics, and radiography. Among the various schemes of laser-based electron acceleration, vacuum laser acceleration has the merits of super-high acceleration gradient and great simplicity. Yet its realization has been difficult because injecting free electrons into the fast-oscillating laser field is not trivial. Here we demonstrate free-electron injection and subsequent vacuum laser acceleration of electrons up to 20 MeV using the relativistic transparency effect. When a high-contrast intense laser drives a thin solid foil, electrons from the dense opaque plasma are first accelerated to near-light speed by the standing laser wave in front of the solid foil and subsequently injected into the transmitted laser field as the opaque plasma becomes relativistically transparent. It is possible to further optimize the electron injection/acceleration by manipulating the laser polarization, incident angle, and temporal pulse shaping. Our result also sheds light on the fundamental relativistic transparency process, crucial for producing secondary particle and light sources.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Principles and applications of x-ray light sources driven by laser wakefield acceleration

One of the most prominent applications of modern particle accelerators is the generation of radiation. In a synchrotron or an x-ray free electron laser (XFEL), high energy electrons oscillating in periodic magnetic structures emit bright x rays. In spite of their scientific appeal that will remain evident for many decades, one limitation of synchrotrons and XFELs is their typical mile-long size and their cost, which often limits access to the broader scientific community. Here, this tutorial reviews the principles and prospects of using plasmas produced by intense lasers as particle accelerators and x-ray light sources, as well as some of the applications they enable. A plasma is an ionized medium that can sustain electrical fields many orders of magnitude higher than that in conventional radio frequency accelerator structures and can be used to accelerate electrons. When short, intense laser pulses are focused into a gas, it produces electron plasma waves in which electrons can be trapped and accelerated to GeV energies. This process, laser-wakefield acceleration (LWFA), is analogous to a surfer being propelled by an ocean wave. Many radiation sources, from THz to gamma-rays, can be produced by these relativistic electrons. This tutorial reviews several LWFA-driven sources in the keV-MeV photon energy range: betatron radiation, inverse Compton scattering, bremsstrahlung radiation, and undulator/XFEL radiation. X rays from laser plasma accelerators have many emerging applications. They can be used in innovative and flexible x-ray imaging and x-ray absorption spectroscopy configurations, for use in biology, industry, and high-energy density science.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Acceleration of heavy ions in inverse free electron laser

In conventional linear accelerators, the beam is accelerated with a synchronous harmonic of the radio frequency field where the electric field component is collinear with the beam direction. This approach requires the design of complex accelerating structures, especially for low-energy heavy ions. If the beam motion were sustainably coupled to transverse electromagnetic fields, this could significantly simplify the accelerating structure design, and even allow acceleration with free-space waves. However, despite the long history of the proposed concept for accelerating low-velocity ion beams, it has not found practical application, partially because of the complexity of the technical design. In this paper, we present a practical design approach for this undulator-based accelerator for low-energy heavy-ions, reminiscent of the inverse free electron laser operating principle, but in a different parameter space.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Bayesian optimization algorithms for accelerator physics

Accelerator physics relies on numerical algorithms to solve optimization problems in online accelerator control and tasks such as experimental design and model calibration in simulations. The effectiveness of optimization algorithms in discovering ideal solutions for complex challenges with limited resources often determines the problem complexity these methods can address. The accelerator physics community has recognized the advantages of Bayesian optimization algorithms, which leverage statistical surrogate models of objective functions to effectively address complex optimization challenges, especially in the presence of noise during accelerator operation and in resource-intensive physics simulations. In this review article, we offer a conceptual overview of applying Bayesian optimization techniques toward solving optimization problems in accelerator physics. We begin by providing a straightforward explanation of the essential components that make up Bayesian optimization techniques. We then give an overview of current and previous work applying and modifying these techniques to solve accelerator physics challenges. Finally, we explore practical implementation strategies for Bayesian optimization algorithms to maximize their performance, enabling users to effectively address complex optimization challenges in real-time beam control and accelerator design. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

CBETA: The first multi-pass superconducting linear accelerator with energy recovery

Energy recovery has been achieved in a multipass linear accelerator, demonstrating a technology for more compact particle accelerators operating at higher currents and reduced energy consumption. Energy delivered to the beam during the first four passes through the accelerating structure was recovered during four subsequent decelerating passes. High-energy efficiency was achieved by the use of superconducting accelerating cavities and permanent magnets. The fixed-field alternating-gradient optical system used for the return loop successfully transported electron bunches of 42, 78, 114, and 150 MeV in a common vacuum chamber. This new kind of accelerator, an eight-pass energy recovery linac, has the potential to accelerate much higher current than existing linear accelerators while maintaining small beam dimensions and consuming much less energy per electron.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Transformation of Spinors in Accelerators and Beam Transfer Lines

The stable spin direction and the spin tune are two important concepts used when polarized beams are transferred along beam lines or circulating in an accelerator. One of the methods to calculate the stable spin direction and the spin tune of the reference particle of a polarized beam bunch is by integrating simultaneously the Lorentz Force $\vec{F}$ = q($\vec{E}$ +$\vec{v}$ x $\vec{B}$) and the BMT equation of the reference particle as it is transported by the magnets of a beam line or accelerator. A modified version of the Raytrace code was used to integrate the Lorentz equation and the BMT equation. Using the spin motion which is governed by the BMT equation one can compute both, the stable spin direction of the reference particle at any point along the reference orbit of an accelerator or a beam line, and the spin tune of the closed orbit in an accelerator. The simultaneous integration of the Lorentz force and of the BMT equation is the most accurate method to calculate the trajectory and the spin motion of a charged particle moving in an electromagnetic field, however this method requires the accurate description of the electromagnetic fields of the elements in which the charged particles are moving. An alternative method of calculating the stable spin direction and the spin tune of spin ½ charged particles along the reference trajectory of a beam line or an accelerator is the transformation of the spinor which is the wavefunction of spin ½ particles. This method requires the knowledge of the stable spin direction of each element of the beam line or the accelerator. This technical note describes the “spinor-method” to calculate the stable-spin- direction and the spin-tune of a spin ½ particle moving along the reference trajectory of a beam line or an accelerator.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Turbulence, Structures, and Diffusive Shock Acceleration

Diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) is thought to be the primary acceleration at shock waves. While this acceleration mechanism has been very successful in explaining many observations of energetic particles in astrophysics and heliophysics, recent observations suggest that DSA, at least its simplest version, may not be adequate in explaining observations of acceleration of particles at the termination shock and some interplanetary shocks. Meanwhile, turbulence and its structures like flux ropes and current sheets have been proposed to have important effects on accelerating particles into high energies. The goal of this project is to carefully examine and extend theories of particle acceleration including the DSA and recently developed reconnection acceleration associated with turbulence structures.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Accelerators for the Future: R&D at the Fermilab FAST Facility

High energy physics in the U.S. has ambitious plans requiring new and improved accelerator technologies, including an upgraded complex at Fermilab for DUNE, next-generation light sources, and the potential of a future collider to be built on U.S. soil. To address these requirements, Fermilab operates the Fermilab Accelerator Science and Technology (FAST) facility, dedicated to accelerator R&D. FAST includes an electron gun and superconducting RF linac (up to 300 MeV), a storage ring, and an upcoming proton source and injector line (up to 2.5 MeV). In addition to the future of Fermilab accelerators, the broad physics program includes general R&D with potential impact across the DOE science program. This colloquium will provide a basic introduction to accelerator technologies and describe the principles of proton and electron accelerators, including the challenges associated with next-generation operations. We will discuss the exciting R&D ongoing at FAST to address the required technological advancements, focusing on Non-Linear Integrable Optics (NIO) for improved beam intensity and Optical Stochastic Cooling (OSC) for improved beam quality, and touching on a wide range of additional ongoing research. I intend to make the content interesting and accessible to those who have never taken any formal courses in accelerator physics.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Response properties of pigeon otolith afferents to linear acceleration

In the present study, the sensitivity to sinusoidal linear accelerations in the plane of the utricular macula was tested in afferents. The head orientation relative to the translation axis was varied in order to determine the head position that elicited the maximal and minimal responses for each afferent. The response gain and phase values obtained to 0.5-Hz and 2-Hz linear acceleration stimuli were then plotted as a function of head orientation and a modified cosine function was fit to the data. From the best-fit cosine function, the predicted head orientations that would produce the maximal and minimal response gains were estimated. The estimated maximum response gains to linear acceleration in the utricular plane for the afferents varied between 75 and 1420 spikes s-1 g-1. The mean maximal gains for all afferents to 0.5-Hz and 2-Hz sinusoidal linear acceleration stimuli were 282 and 367 spikes s-1 g-1, respectively. The minimal response gains were essentially zero for most units. The response phases always led linear acceleration and remained constant for each afferent, regardless of head orientation. These response characteristics indicate that otolith afferents are cosine tuned and behave as one-dimensional linear accelerometers. The directions of maximal sensitivity to linear acceleration for the afferents varied throughout the plane of the utricle; however, most vectors were directed out of the opposite ear near the interaural axis. The response dynamics of the afferents were tested using stimulus frequencies ranging between 0.25 Hz and 10 Hz (0.1 g peak acceleration). Across stimulus frequencies, most afferents had increasing gains and constant phase values. These dynamic properties for individual afferents were fit with a simple transfer function that included three parameters: a mechanical time constant, a gain constant, and a fractional order distributed adaptation operator.

Non-NASA Center↗

Modeling of UH-60A Hub Accelerations with Neural Networks

Neural network relationships between the full-scale, flight test hub accelerations and the corresponding three N/rev pilot floor vibration components (vertical, lateral, and longitudinal) are studied. The present quantitative effort on the UH-60A Black Hawk hub accelerations considers the lateral and longitudinal vibrations. An earlier study had considered the vertical vibration. The NASA/Army UH-60A Airloads Program flight test database is used. A physics based "maneuver-effect-factor (MEF)", derived using the roll-angle and the pitch-rate, is used. Fundamentally, the lateral vibration data show high vibration levels (up to 0.3 g's) at low airspeeds (for example, during landing flares) and at high airspeeds (for example, during turns). The results show that the advance ratio and the gross weight together can predict the vertical and the longitudinal vibration. However, the advance ratio and the gross weight together cannot predict the lateral vibration. The hub accelerations and the advance ratio can be used to satisfactorily predict the vertical, lateral, and longitudinal vibration. The present study shows that neural network based representations of all three UH-60A pilot floor vibration components (vertical, lateral, and longitudinal) can be obtained using the hub accelerations along with the gross weight and the advance ratio. The hub accelerations are clearly a factor in determining the pilot vibration. The present conclusions potentially allow for the identification of neural network relationships between the experimental hub accelerations obtained from wind tunnel testing and the experimental pilot vibration data obtained from flight testing. A successful establishment of the above neural network based link between the wind tunnel hub accelerations and the flight test vibration data can increase the value of wind tunnel testing.

UH-60A AIRCRAFT↗

Relativistic Electron Beams Accelerated By an Interplanetary Shock

Context: Collisionless shock waves have long been considered to be among the most prolific particle accelerators in the universe. Shocks alter the plasma they propagate through, and often exhibit complex evolution across multiple scales. Interplanetary (IP) traveling shocks have been recorded in situ for over half a century and act as a natural laboratory for experimentally verifying various aspects of large-scale collisionless shocks. A fundamentally interesting problem in both heliophysics and astrophysics is the acceleration of electrons to relativistic energies (> 300 keV) by traveling shocks. Aims: The reason for an incomplete understanding of electron acceleration at IP shocks is due to scale-related challenges and a lack of instrumental capabilities. This Letter presents the first observations of field-aligned beams of relativistic electrons upstream of an IP shock, observed thanks to the instrumental capabilities of Solar Orbiter. This study presents the characteristics of the electron beams close to the source and contributes to the understanding of their acceleration mechanism. Methods: On 25 July 2022, Solar Orbiter encountered an IP shock at 0.98 AU. The shock was associated with an energetic storm particle event, which also featured upstream field-aligned relativistic electron beams observed 14 min prior to the actual shock crossing. The distance of the beam’s origin was investigated using a velocity dispersion analysis (VDA). Peak-intensity energy spectra were analyzed and compared with those obtained from a semi-analytical fast-Fermi acceleration model. Results: By leveraging Solar Orbiter’s high temporal resolution Energetic Particle Detector (EPD), we successfully showcase an IP shock’s ability to accelerate relativistic electron beams. Our proposed acceleration mechanism offers an explanation for the observed electron beam and its characteristics, while we also explore the potential contributions of more complex mechanisms.

acceleration of particles↗